The real life of an American police officer: Winning over others with virtue

Chapter 282 Preparation (Two Chapters Combined)

Sheen casually removed a magazine, quickly attached a new, fully loaded magazine, and immediately unleashed a barrage of fire to suppress the enemy.

Nearby, Armand, who had also run out of ammunition, immediately carried out the order, grabbed an M67 fragmentation grenade, pulled the safety pin, and after a two-second delay, threw it forcefully from the window towards the area below the steps in front.

Boom! The deafening explosion drowned out all the noise on the battlefield, and flames and smoke instantly engulfed a small area.

The grenade exploded in the smoke, scattering fragments like an angry swarm of bees.

clap clap clap!
The shield-bearer's fortress blocked the direct shrapnel, but the shockwave from the explosion slammed into the thick bulletproof shield like an invisible giant hammer, making him feel as if he had been hit head-on by a speeding car. His internal organs jolted violently, his chest tightened, and he couldn't breathe.

His strong body staggered backward uncontrollably, almost falling off the steps.

The intense tinnitus robbed him of his hearing, a wave of dizziness and nausea made him lose his balance drastically, and he was barely able to keep his heavy shield steady.

Some shrapnel flew past from the side and above.

A SWAT officer who was bending over and dragging his injured teammate back suddenly shuddered, and a cloud of blood burst from his calf. He groaned, knelt on one knee, but still clung tightly to his teammate's tactical vest, forcibly pulling him a short distance before finally falling to the ground below the steps.

Not far away, a team member let out a short scream as a hot, serrated shard tore through the muscles of his forearm, and his rifle fell from his hand.

The SWAT team member, who had been providing cover beside the shield, suddenly suffered a horrific gash on the side of his neck. Blood gushed out like a burst pipe. He futilely covered the wound with his hands, his eyes quickly glazed over, and his body slumped limply into the pool of blood.

SWAT Team A was almost completely wiped out.

The white smoke screen used to cover the retreat mixed with the black and yellow smoke from the grenade explosions, becoming thick and murky, severely obstructing visibility.

Only a few SWAT officers who were still able to move were shouting, groping, and dragging each other away from the spot to find cover.

"Medical team! Emergency medical assistance is needed here!"

"I can't see the target!"

"Retreat! Retreat quickly!"

"A team member has been shot in the neck! He urgently needs to have the bleeding stopped!"

Beside the command vehicle at the rear, Rafe saw this horrific scene through binoculars and drone footage, and his heart bled.

"Damn it! Damn it!" Veins bulged on his forehead as anger, self-blame, and heartache surged through him, making his vision go black.

Rafe bit his tongue hard, the intense pain and the taste of blood instantly bringing him back to his senses. He growled into the radio.

"Team B, open fire! Suppress all windows and cover Team A's retreat!"
All firepower units and all snipers, continue to provide suppressive fire on all windows of the main building and all firing ports of the low buildings!

I don't need your pinpoint accuracy; I need you to turn that place into a wall of bullets! We must not give them a chance to look up, aim, or throw another grenade!

The medical team will move forward to provide support, while the rest will provide smoke cover, and the van will assist in the retreat!

Rafe finished speaking in one breath. He had no longer thought about a frontal assault. The bandits inside the house had fierce firepower, excellent teamwork, and favorable terrain. Continuing to launch a strong attack would be tantamount to suicide.

"Outer patrol officers expanded the outer perimeter cordon, established a second line of defense, and evacuated any residents who might be present further away! Ensure absolute isolation!"

"."

"That's a bit of an exaggeration," Eric said, his eyes narrowing unconsciously as he listened to the continuous gunfire and occasional explosions.

"These are ruthless bandits who are well-trained."

He glanced at Daves instinctively and found Daves staring at him. Then, without saying a word, he turned and left to set up a second cordon and disperse the crowd for quarantine, following Rafe's instructions.

As more and more people were awakened, curiosity and fear drove some to approach and watch.

Will and the others had all been assigned to other jobs, leaving him as the only one who hadn't been assigned a job yet, as if he had been given a chance to act freely.

"What does it mean?"

Eric thought helplessly to himself, the sound of intense gunfire echoing in his ears. He pondered for a moment, his brow furrowed, but he still stepped forward.

Regardless, it's still 0.5 points, but whether or not to have any other ideas depends on the situation first.

After all, he's not an invincible superman. Even if he does nothing, no one can criticize him, and he won't accept that.

Daves sensed something, glanced back at the figure approaching the command post, a hint of worry flashing in his eyes, but remembering what he had seen and heard in Fredericksburg, Virginia, he instinctively took a deep breath.

If Eric is capable enough to help, that would be good. After something like this happened, he shouldn't just stand outside doing nothing.

-

Bang! Bang! Bang! Rat-a-tat-tat!

Gunshots shattered the tranquility of the early morning.

A thick cloud of smoke obscured the view of Sheen and his men below the steps in front of the house. Some surviving members of Team A, along with the relentless suppression from Team C on the flank and the support of snipers, formed a dense network of fire.

Bullets continued to pound against the exterior walls, windows, and doors of the house, making a teeth-grinding crackling sound, and wood chips, brick dust, and glass shards flew everywhere.

In this situation, a medical team would be dispatched to provide support, and the transport vehicle would be protected.

After suffering heavy losses from a concentrated barrage of fire, SWAT.A finally received backup and successfully withdrew from the battle zone.

Inside the room, Sheen and the others also sensed the change in SWAT tactics.

"Damn it, they've learned their lesson. They're not charging anymore, they're drowning us with bullets!" Ryan leaned against the RPK machine gun, silently picked up the last 100-round drum magazine, and shouted, panting heavily.

The continuous stream of bullets hitting the outside of the wall made people's eardrums numb and their nerves tense up like drumming.

“Save ammunition, they’re wearing us down.” Sheen switched to a new magazine, his voice muffled by the gunfire.

"Woven, report the situation."

Inside the low house, Woven's voice came through the headset, still calm but speaking faster:
"The frontal firepower is extremely intense, and there are snipers watching me, making it impossible to observe. However, the warehouse on the left has also been captured, and there is continuous and precise firing. They must be trying to starve us out."

"There's no movement at the back door, but I can feel someone watching us," Miguel reported from the kitchen.

"They've been hurt and need time to rebuild. But that won't last long; the next wave of attacks will be even fiercer, or they'll just keep suffocating us."

Sheen took a deep breath. Being surrounded was the most troublesome situation. They had limited ammunition, and it was only a matter of time before they were trapped here and died.

"The police just suffered a heavy loss, so their attention is definitely focused on the front. The blockade of the back mountain will take time and won't be impenetrable immediately. Recheck our weapons and ammunition reserves. Since they're not going to launch a full-scale attack, we should prepare to break through from the rear."

The fact that the house is backed by a hillside makes it difficult for the police to deploy a tighter blockade, which is a good point of entry.

"Roger that!" The group quickly checked the weapons.

"Air unit, upgrade surveillance! I want you to use thermal imaging to keep a close watch on every heat source signal inside the building. Report any movement, especially any signs of them moving towards the lower buildings to the rear or right!"

At this point, Rafe immediately called the rear dispatch center for support.

Even Davis, the director of the Counterterrorism and Special Operations Bureau who was at home and not yet at work, was alarmed by this matter.

After being transferred through several layers of connections, I was completely bewildered when I received a call from Rafe requesting backup.

"Sir, we have encountered extremely dangerous and well-trained suspects with heavy casualties. They are armed with automatic weapons, sniper rifles, and explosives. We urgently need backup."

BearCat armored personnel carriers, we need heavy armored vehicles for assault and casualty evacuation!
More tear gas and stun grenades are needed; we need to use non-contact suppression!
More medical resources are needed, and at least two ambulances need to be on standby!

Please authorize the use of higher-level force options. I need authorization to use lethal grenades or other heavy firepower if necessary!

Davis frowned. Although he didn't know exactly what was going on, from Rafe's words, he felt that the price paid for this matter seemed to be even heavier than last time.

Moreover, this authorization is at the level of counter-terrorism authorization.

"Fuck! What happened? How did terrorists suddenly appear? There was no intelligence notification at all!"

Davis felt a headache coming on and cursed inwardly, but as the person in charge, he still fulfilled Rafe's needs and approved the heavy firepower request.

-

Rafe stood behind the command vehicle, his face ashen, watching the A team members being given emergency treatment. His anxiety was like oil boiling over a raging fire.

He stared at the drone operator's screen; the thermal imaging showed that most of the heat sources inside the building were huddled behind cover, and his eyes turned fierce.

The change was so drastic that he was caught off guard. He had originally thought it was just an attack on a top-level wanted criminal with a military background and his accomplices, but he didn't expect it to be a fully armed and highly coordinated military squad.

"We must focus on encirclement!" Rafe thought with a grim face.

Just then, a voice suddenly rang out from behind him, making his heart skip a beat.

"Your offensive has stopped, so they're preparing to run away."

Rafe turned sharply toward the source of the sound and found the impressive young patrolman standing behind him, looking at the drone screen.

Meeting the SWAT team captain's bloodshot eyes, who was somewhat overwhelmed by the casualties among his team members, Eric continued.

"This terrain, which is easy to defend and difficult to attack, was obviously chosen on purpose, so the small hill behind must have been their main evacuation point set up long ago. I suspect they even arranged several vehicles there in advance."

At this point, Eric noticed that the SWAT team captain's eyes had become even redder, as if he was finding it hard to accept the outcome.

Needless to say, the outcome was predictable. The limitations of the early morning time slot are significant; not only is there a lack of manpower, but even the current preparations are inadequate.
Given the current conditions, it would be very difficult for this SWAT team to surround and trap these highly skilled and ruthless bandits.

If they manage to escape from this encirclement, the subsequent capture operation will be much more difficult, and they are very likely to get away, with a success rate of at least 70%.

Eric spoke without any emotion, but Rafe suddenly remembered the situation of the person in front of him and, as if grasping at a straw, his eyes reddened as he hissed.

"If it were you, what would you do?"

“Keep the attack going! Hold them off,” Eric said, continuing before Rafe could speak, his eyes red with emotion.

"I just heard you say that you were requesting authorization to use heavy firepower?"

Rafe's eyes narrowed slightly, and he looked at Eric decisively, saying, "It's approved!"

Eric paused for a moment, swallowing his prepared remarks, and nodded, asking, "Are there any equipment supplies available here right now?"

Less than a second later, Rafe said, "Yes! We have them all!"

“Okay!” Eric glanced at the emergency scene; it seemed someone had died, and a group of people looked grief-stricken, some even with red eyes.
“If you can trust me,” Eric sighed inwardly, “just give me a crack team of strikers. I don’t need many, four will do, but they have to be the best.”

I also need an M320 grenade launcher loaded with high-explosive grenades, an M4A1 equipped with a PEQ-15 laser designator and holographic sight, hand grenades, smoke grenades, and ample ammunition.

“High-explosive bomb? You want to…” Rafe instinctively wanted to ask, but seeing Eric’s deep eyes, he swallowed his words. What he needed now was results, not questions.

Eric's gaze swept over Rafe's waist. "I also need your captain-level encrypted radio headset. I need the highest level of access to communicate directly with you, the sniper, the air unit, and the squad leader, with synchronized commands and no delays."

Rafe hesitated for only half a second before immediately making a radio call, naming four remaining skilled fighters and instructing two of them to bring M320s loaded with high-explosive rounds to the command post.

"I believe you!"

At the same time, he quickly took off his encrypted headset and handed it to Eric, saying, "The channel is set up, you have the highest priority."

“Okay.” Eric took the headset and put it on. At the same time, he very quickly and instinctively began to check the plate fastening straps of his Level IIIA standard soft body armor, but suddenly untied and removed the plates inside.

His movements were fluid and swift, as natural as breathing; the power strip he bought was a bit inadequate here.

Seeing Eric instinctively unfasten his bulletproof vest, Rafe took a deep breath and immediately contacted the drone operator for instructions:

"Give him his wish, and get him a set of Level III heavy bulletproof plates! Quickly!"

The drone operator glanced at Eric; he recognized Eric from the video of the interception. He nodded and hurriedly ran to the second van.
He quickly took out a heavy set of Level III military-grade bulletproof plates and the M320 grenade launcher that Eric had specified from an equipment box, and hurriedly delivered them to Eric.

Looking at Eric, his eyes revealed a complex emotion that was hard to describe.

Eric nodded and silently accepted the heavy, matte black-coated Class III composite ceramic insert.

It feels quite heavy when you hold it, probably weighing two or three kilograms, but this weight brings a reassuring sense of solidity.

Eric skillfully and precisely inserted the insert into the insert pocket at the front of his body armor, pressed it to make sure it was fully in place, and locked it.

Next came the back panel, following the same procedure, the movements were lightning fast, without any unnecessary steps.

Then, Eric didn't stop. He looked at the operator in front of him and said, "Do you have any spare plates? Give me one more in the front and one in the back."

The operator and Rafe, who was standing next to him, were taken aback.

Double-plate stacking is a way to deal with extremely high threat levels, and the protection capability is increased exponentially, especially when dealing with repeated hits or high-powered rifle bullets.

However, the weight would increase significantly, so most people wouldn't do that.

But Reif immediately nodded, and the stunned drone operator quickly retrieved two identical Level III inserts.

"Thank you."

Eric casually inserted the two extra plates into the spare compartments at the front and back of the body armor, respectively.

In that instant, the thickness of the protective shield on his chest doubled, and the heavy burden pressed down on his shoulders, but this did not pose an obstacle to his physical attributes, which had been enhanced by Deep Blue.

(End of this chapter)